Tenpin apparatus.



gnou/Lto@ attente@ Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I WMM-mow TME commun PLANocRAml co ,um TON E. LOCK,

TENPIN APPARATUS.

APPLICATION F|LED1uLY2a.1915.

Patented; Jan. 18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THB coLuAmxA PLANOGRAPM Co., WASHINGTON, 1

- rio-E. i g

JOI-IN EDWARD LOCK, F LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

TENPIN APPARATUS.

incanta.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, JOHN EDWARD LOCK, a subject of Great Britain, now residing at Lawrence, vin the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tenpin Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others.

skilled -in the art to-which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to'the letters and figures of 'reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in tenpin apparatus and consists especially in theprovision of a tenpin table having a' spring-pressed member for firing the balls and comprises a simple and eicient apparatus of this nature having various details of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the application of my invention toy the table. Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig, 3 is an enlarged detail end view of the springpressed ball shooting device. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. is a detail in side elevation of the plunger releasing mechanism.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by numeral, 1 designates a table mounted upon the table legs 2 which have leg leveling devices 3 at the lower ends thereof. The table has an inclined way 4 about two sides and at one end thereof, and a pocket 4 is positioned at the exit end of said inclined way to catch the balls as they roll down the way.

5 designates a netting about a portion of the table upon which the pins 6 are adapted to be placed.

At one end of the table is a slotted plate 7 shown in section in Fig. 4, and 8 designates a hollow boss having a lateral T- shaped projection 9, the end of which is movable within the slotted plate 7. A cylinder, designated by numeral 10, having a closed end with an aperture 11 therein, is mounted upon the post 12 which is journaled within said boss 8being held Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented an. 18, 1916.

Application mea :any 2s, 1915. serial No. 42,447.

thereon by a nut 13. Said post has a lange 14, and 15 is a screw passing through said fiange and a threaded aperture in the cylinder, adapted t0 hold the latter to the post. Said cylinder is provided with slots 16 -in the opposite sides thereof, which slots have odsets 17, one upon one slot being in the lower marginal edge of the marginal wall of the slot, and the other upon the 4upper side upon the upper wall of the slot.`

18 is a ball driving member having a stem 19 which is movable within the aperture 11 in one end of the cylinder, the end portion of which is guided within the aperture 20 formed in the bushing 21, which latter is circumferentially threaded and engages interior threads in the end of the cylinder and which .bushing is held in place by aset screw 22. Said stem has an integral collar 23 from which pins 24 project in opposite directions'and which pins are movable .with-4 in the slots 16. A coiled spring 25 is mounted about said stem and bears intermediate the inner end vof the bushing 20 and the collar 23. 1

.Pivotally mounted upon a pin 26, jecting outwardly yfrom the boss 8, asfshown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, is a link 27 which in turn is pivoted at 28 to a lever 29 on a pivotat right angles to the outwardly projecting pivot before mentioned, said lever having an elongated slot 30, shown clearly in Fig. 1 of the drawings. A plunger releasing member 31 is mounted upon a pin 32 and a spring 33, mounted upon the bracket member 34, serves'to hold the lever 31 nor-l mally inthe position shown in Fig. 5.y A pin 35projecting from the cylinder, serves to limit the throw of the lever in one direction.

Tlie'woperation of my invention will be readily understood and is as followsz-The pins are placed upon the table as shown in Fig. 2 and the ball firing member is drawn back under the tension of the spring 25 through the medium of the lever 29 which is manipulated so that the elongated slot 30 therein will engage over one of the projecting pins 24 when the lever assumes the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, after which, by swinging the lever to the right, the ball firing member or plunger will be moved outward and, when the pins carried thereby come opposite the two offsets in the marginal edges of the slots, a partial axial movement will be imparted to the stem 19 'pro- Which-'Will cause said pins -t'oengage'the same ma7 be moved freely back and forth V through the medium` of the sliding connection between the T-shaped projections and the slotted plate 7 and, the post of's'aid cyl'- inderbeingswiveled, the cylinder may be given av horizontalswinging movement inV order to 'line up the same in readiness 'to release the ball firing member When 'in proper alinement With vthe ball against ivliieh i-t is tobe fired. Byra'ising'iip uponfone end of the lever 31,:tli'e opposite end, `which vis positioned. over one of said pins 24, will lcause the stem ofthe plunger to move axially a slight distance, sufficient 't'oalleiv the pins to be released from their 'offsets'an'dthe spring Will forciblyr'drive the ln'ieinber 18 against the ball ,to be fired against the pins.

lt will be noted from the foregoing that means 'is `provided, whereby the ball firing member may be held in different positions transversely and allovved also" a swinging movement upon the pivot, so that the ball may be driven in any direction desired.

LA tenpin :ball firing apparatus, comprising a table, a slotted plate vfastened to the latter, pivotal lcylinder and 'mounting therefor movable Within said'plata'a springpressed member `vvithin the cylinder, the latter having slots With osets at the ends thereof, rejections upon said member which are yin al ment with ysaid'odsets to hold the member retracted, and a vtrigger mechanism for releasing the latter. y

2. A tenpin firing apparatus, comprising a table, a slotted plate fastened to the latter, a pivotal cjflinder and mounting therefor movable Within said plate, a spring-pressed member Within the cylindeigthe latter having slots with offsets at the ends thereof, projections pon "said member Which are in alinement ith said offsets te hold the member retracted, a pivotal spring-pressed lever adaptedltoimpart an axial movement to said member to release the pins from the slots.

y351A tenpin Vtiring apparatus, comprising a table, a slotted plate fastened to the latter,

-a hollow boss having a T-shaped projection movable Within said plate, a cylinder, a post connected thereto and swiveled in said boss, a ball firing member having a stem movable through an apertured end of said cylinder, a hollow threaded member Within said ovlinder and through which said stem is guided,

hollo'i'v boss With an integral T-shaped profr jection'movable Within the slot of said plate, al cyli'i'ider, a post fastened thereto pivotally mounted in'said boss, said cylinder Vhaving an apertured'end and longitudinal slots in the Wall thereof, 4a ball firing member, a stem 'thereto 'movable vthrough apertured end of the cylinder, a collar upon said Vstem With pins projectingl therefrom and guided in said slots, the `flatter having voffsets for the reception 'of the pins, a hollow threaded member in one end ofthe cylinder Within which the stem isk guided, a vspring interposed between said threaded Amen'iber and collar, anda spring-pressed lever mounted upon ltlieco'llar and adapted to contact With one'of said pins to impart a rotating movement to lthe stem and allow the spring to act to, drive the ball actuating member.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afliX mv signaturein presenceof tivo Witnesses.

JOHN ED'WA'RD LOCK. Witnesses:

',RALPH W7., BEVINGTON, FRED H. EATON.

Copies Vof this patent may be obtained for ve cents eaehfhy addressing the 'Gommissionerof Patents.

Washingtom'iDfC. 

